Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0Bethersden is older than 89% of UK towns: a median age of 50.8
Compared with 29% across England’s towns, nearly a quarter of households have dependent children here. At 11%, the share of households in terraced houses is lower than in 87% of UK towns. Census day 2021: 1,008 residents and 435 households in Bethersden. The census found that 57% of residents describe themselves as Christian here.
What the Census says about Bethersden’s people
Older than most towns
Half of Bethersden’s residents are under 50.8 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 28% are 65 or over, against 18% across England’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
A higher share of residents aged 65 and over than 84% of UK towns, at 28%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
By its share of residents aged 15 to 24 (8.6%), Bethersden is below 85% of UK towns. Set beside that, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
4.4% of adults are full-time students, below 67% of UK towns
What adults did at the 2021 Census (the ONS’s NS-SEC classes), and where residents lived a year earlier.
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Address a year before the Census
Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.
Across England’s towns, a third of adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 24% in routine or semi-routine work; Bethersden has 32% and 20%. Residents who moved in within the year: a tenth of the total. The comparison figure for full-time students is 7.9% across England’s towns.
2.8% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home, more than in 69% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Kent’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
A household here has 2.3 people on average; across England’s towns, 2.4. To put it in context, 4.3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home across England’s towns. 30% of households are one person living alone.
A smaller share of households without a car or van than 91% of UK towns: 8.2%
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Against a figure of 23% across England’s towns, the share of households in flats in Bethersden comes in at 5.9%. What’s more, every 12th household or so has no car or van. For Bethersden, the census puts households in detached houses at 40%.
99% of residents have English as their main language, more than in 92% of UK towns
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2021.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 25%
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Residents born abroad were most often born in EU countries (1.8%), then in the Middle East and Asia (1.2%). Across England’s towns, the share of residents whose main language is English is 90%. At 4.7%, the share of residents born outside the UK is lower than in just over two thirds of UK towns.
94% of residents describe themselves as White British, more than in 62% of UK towns
How residents described themselves at the 2021 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 94% of Bethersden · Kent’s towns 82% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Beyond White British, the biggest groups are Other White (4.6%), Mixed or multiple (0.6%) and Chinese (0.4%). Residents who describe themselves as White British: 73% across England’s towns, for comparison. Lower than in three quarters of UK towns: 37% of residents said they have no religion.
52% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, more than in 76% of UK towns
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 5 and over), Census 2021.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over
33 residents give 50 hours or more of unpaid care each week. Across England’s towns, married adults and civil partners come to 44%. Fewer adults who have never married than in three quarters of UK towns: 29%. At 8.3%, unpaid carers sit close to the figure across England’s towns.
25% of adults have qualifications at degree level
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
20% of Bethersden’s adults have no qualification (18% across England’s towns), and 25% have one at degree level (34%).
Median age: 2 of the 7 towns around Bethersden are older
Nearby built-up areas coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethersden | 1,008 | — | 50.8 | 28% | 24% |
| Shadoxhurst | 1,009 | 3.2 mi | 48.2 | 25% | 26% |
| Woodchurch | 1,201 | 3.8 mi | 56.8 | 39% | 22% |
| Tenterden | 7,775 | 4.5 mi | 54.4 | 35% | 20% |
| Biddenden | 1,345 | 5 mi | 44.1 | 21% | 31% |
| Ashford | 82,143 | 5.1 mi | 37.2 | 15% | 35% |
| Charing | 2,170 | 6.1 mi | 50.3 | 28% | 25% |
| Finberry | 1,571 | 6.1 mi | 30.3 | 4.1% | 47% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Kent’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Kent (or England), summed the same way as Bethersden’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. The ONS adds small random changes to Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Bethersden’s residents
What is the population of Bethersden?
The 2021 Census counted 1,008 people in Bethersden’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Bethersden?
The median age was 50.8 at the 2021 Census. 8.6% of residents were 15 to 24 and 28% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Bethersden?
94% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 82% across Kent’s towns. 4.7% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Bethersden?
37% said they had no religion and 57% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 5.9% didn’t answer.
Is Bethersden good for families?
24% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Bethersden’s schools page.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area (TS002, TS003, TS004, TS007A, TS008, TS015, TS017, TS019, TS021, TS029, TS030, TS039, TS044, TS045, TS062, TS067). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.